//------------------------------//
// Welcome to Goodsprings. 
// Story: Fallout: New Pegasus 
// by markhaox14 
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{BEGIN DAY 1 LOG TRANSMISSION}

Day 1, July 24

0800 Hours

I think the first thing I remember doing... was taking a breath. No, not the first thing I did since birth... the first thing since... since I woke up. I couldn't see at first, even though my eyes were surely wide open. Everything was too bright but I couldn't say a word about it. Somepony said something to me instead.

"You're awake. How about that?"

I don't know why, but as soon as I heard that calm voice, my head started relieving itself. I sat up on some kind of sofa I was laying on, looking across at a blurry figure at first, but only a second later my vision cleared to find myself looking at some earth pony wearing a black overcoat over his hide. He was obviously much older than I was, but not too old where he couldn't do much. I tried to stand up, but I felt a sharp pain somewhere... I couldn't tell where. The stallion stood up and placed a hoof against my chest, gesturing me to take a seat. I really didn't have a choice... so I did.

"Easy..." he reassured soothingly. "You know, it ain't everyday somepony like you comes in."

I felt myself utter a few words at that. "W-what are you... on about?" My voice sounded dry, cracked, weak; it was different from what I was familiar with.

"You've been out for a few days. At this point, I was about ready to return you to rest in peace in that ditch. But you're up and kicking, so that's good. So... considering the damage..." he stopped momentarily, before slowly continuing, "can... you... tell... me... your... name?" He did this very carefully so as to not stress me out.

It didn't take long for me to answer. "First Class," I groaned out, the words barely escaping my throat.

He hid a chuckle just under his breath. "Well, not what I would've gone with." He pointed to his overcoat, where I noticed something that I swear wasn't there before; a Red Cross. "Doc's the name. Welcome to Goodsprings."

"G-Goodsprings..." I repeated, almost trance-like.

He nodded, as if I had said my first word in life. He then glanced quickly to my stomach and back to me. I caught the glance, and turned to where it was pointed for the few seconds he looked. I looked at my dark yellow midsection, and saw a few black, dotted lines crossing over it. I panicked immediately, breathing heavy with quick breaths. He quickly stood up and placed a hoof on my shoulder. "Easy now... those are stitches. Do you know what stitches are?"

I really wanted to yell at him then and there that I knew what they were, but I still couldn't stop shaking at the sight of them. "I had to take out a lot of little fragments in your belly, so you may hurt bad after you eat for a good while." He then grimaced, and clicked his tongue.

"W-what now?" I asked, terrified of him now.

"Well... that wasn't the only place you got stitches, son." He pondered a bit about whether to tell me or not. He sighed, and pointed to my left side. I turned quickly... and I soon wish I hadn't. I saw my hide and only my hide, with a few of the same stitch marks dotting just under my foreleg. I felt sick to my stomach, my eyes widening.

"M-my wing!" I choked out.

He nodded. "That had to come off..." I really wanted this guy to have it now. Instead, he approached me. "Look on the bright side..."

"What bright side?" I hissed out. He handed me a mirror, and I checked it. I only saw my facial features: my eyes, still a pine green; my mane, a little bit ruffled and dirty but still recognizably long and dark brown; and my muzzle, still perfectly on my face. In a moment, I realized what Doc meant by his 'bright side' comment. I tossed the mirror back to him, and he placed it away.

"No use keeping you sitting. Try standing up." Still trembling, I hesitated a bit, before my rattling legs found themselves moving. I stood up on all fours, still breathing heavily as I tried to calm myself. "Good... now walk over to that machine in the corner."

"OK... OK..." I said in a low voice. I moved my right foreleg first, shaking as I raised it in the air. I placed it down firmly, and moved my left foreleg. The shaking ceased a bit, and I walked much steadier as I made my way to this device in the corner. As soon as I touched it with my right wing, Doc stepped close to the machine, turning it on.

"Now... with you being in a hole in the ground, I have to make sure you have everything accounted for in your noggin. Place your hoof there," he requested, pointing to a black circle on the wooden machine. I lifted a hoof, hesitating a bit, before placing it down. The machine flickered to life, where inside a thin sheet of glass, I saw a row of rectangular panels flip. In a few moments, the panels stopped, and the doctor inspected.

"Hmm... lightweight... big-eyed tiger... handle with care... cheery salespony... smartypants... knife catcher... coin flip..." After his analysis, he turned to me. "It's a damn marvel that you're still alive!" he blurt out, chuckling.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" I asked, annoyed at the doctor's cheerful mood.

"Nothing, nothing..." he said, still grinning. "Come on... I gotta continue with an examination. See if you can still comprehend things." I was surprised with how quickly he got me to calm down, and he led me back to the couch. "I'm gonna say a word... say the first thing that comes to mind..."

"OK. Is that it? One word?"

"For this, yes." He cleared his throat, and sat down on a chair across from me. "Dog."

"Dog," I repeated.

"House."

"House," I repeated again, chuckling a bit. He grumbled a bit.

"The point is to say something other than what I say. Let's try this again... dog."

"Cat," I immediately thought and replied.

"House."

"Target," I replied, then cocked an eyebrow as I wondered why I even said that.

"Night."

"Cover," I replied again, this time sure of what I wanted to say.

"Bandit."

"Stab," I replied, thinking a lowly bandit would probably be nothing to handle.

"Light."

"Dark," I replied. I never knew why, but I always had an obsession for Luna and her gift of night.

"Mother."

"Cookies." At that, my stomach rumbled, and I rubbed it a bit. I can't believe it... I actually missed my old life.

"OK... that's it for the one worded answers. Now I'm gonna give you some phrases, and you tell me whether you strongly, regularly, or do not agree or disagree."

"OK. Lay it on me."

Doc cleared his throat again. "Conflict just ain't in my nature."

I couldn't believe it, but I couldn't agree more. "Strongly agree."

"I ain't given to relyin' on others for support."

I really couldn't come up with an answer on that, but I might as well have for the doctor. "Disagree."

"I'm always fixin' to be the center of attention."

"Strongly disagree." I was never one to stand out. But I did get noticed now and then... sometimes by caravans... sometimes by Fiends. But again, I never sought their attention.

"I'm slow to embrace new ideas."

"Disagree." Maybe after a few mishaps or trials, I'd get something. But I always did learn it.

"I charge in to deal with my problems head on."

"Strongly disagree." I never looked for trouble, even if it came looking for me.

The doctor stood up again, and walked off. In a moment, he came back with a board of some kind, covered by a black sheet. "Almost done... I'm gonna show you some visuals now... tell me what you see." He uncovered the sheet, and I saw a paper, splattered with black ink splotches here and there.



I put a hoof on my chin. "Uh... looks like a shadow... against a door."

He wrote my response down on a pad, and flipped to another splotch.



"Looks like some kind of... what's it called... space cannon? Yeah, that! A space cannon!"

He wrote that response down, and turned to the next image.



"A sleeper. That's definitely a sleeping pony."

He wrote the final answer in the pad, and set it down. "Well that's all I have for ya." He extended his foreleg out to hand me the pad. "What do you think of the results?" I looked at everything he scribbled down carefully...

This stallion's a quiet sumbitch. If he wanted to, he could drift through an entire crowd without ever being noticed. Knows how to handle a gun but doesn't know how it works. He's obviously spent time playing with knives... but seems to have never cut himself judging by his reaction to the sutures. Final observation... First Class is a shadow.

I handed the notepad back to him, rather impressed by his observations. "Pretty accurate."

He chuckled a bit. "Well, it's my job to make sure. Come on, then." He stood up, and led me to a door. "Got anywhere to stay around Goodsprings?"

"No. But I'm not planning to stay... no offense. I just want to know what happened to me... and what I was carrying."

"Well, before you do venture out there, you might want this." He took a watch-looking thing from a shelf, and handed it to me.

"Uh... thanks?"

He took it back and turned a few dials on it, causing the machine to hiss. "Lift your left foreleg."

I hesitated a bit, before I actually did. He slipped the machine around my leg, and fiddled with the dials again. The machine suddenly wrapped around my foreleg, and at first, I freaked out. As the machine did, however, I quickly regained myself. The thing... it didn't feel loose... but it didn't feel tight either. It was a perfect fit. "That there's a Pip-Boy. Growing up in the stables, I had that thing on all the time. I don't go out much anymore, so it's really no use to me."

"What does it do?" I asked, perplexed as I moved my foreleg around to fully check the Pip-Boy out.

"Just about everything. You can check your current health conditions, detect radiation, use it as a map... that's just the tip of the iceberg. You won't even need to carry a pack anymore."

"Damn... really? I could've used one of these a long time ago." I checked the monitor, displaying what looked like an exact replica of me in an anatomical position, complete with my name underneath it. My right wing was present... but not my left. "Wait... are you sure there wasn't anything you could've done about my wing?"

"No... sorry. Your wing was falling apart at the base and it was going to tear off anyway."

I sighed, and I repeatedly extended and retracted my right wing. "Luna dammit..." Rather than sulk about my wing at the moment, I checked the Pip-Boy again. There were three red, glowing buttons below the monitor: Stats, Items, and Data.

Currently, the screen was on the stats. I saw multiple selections on the screen itself. LVL 1... HP 150/150... AP 94/94... XP 0/200... what the hell did all this mean? I disregarded it at the moment. The doctor handed me something else; a piece of folded cloth. "Might wanna wear this too. Better to have something on than nothing, right?"

I took the folded piece, and opened it. It was a blue coverall of some kind. I noticed on the collar, and upon later inspection on the back of the suit just on the flank, were two of the number 21. I turned to Doc questionably. "What's this?"

"That there's a Stable 21 jumpsuit. It's an old suit I had stored in my closet. Try it on." I don't know why, but I felt that not wearing it would perhaps crush the doctor's feelings. I slowly placed it on, and after my head slipped through its opening, I felt my right wing strain as it was pressed against the right side of the suit. Doc opened a zipper on the right side of the suit, and my wing slipped through it freely.

"Much better."

Doc handed me a few more objects: a small pistol, a box of cartridges, a straight razor, some bobby pins, some caps, and a few stimpaks. "This is all you had with you, apparently. Somepony generously found it next to your ditch and brought it to me."

"I... thanks, Doc." I held all the items cluttered in my wing, and Doc pressed the items button on the Pip-Boy. The clutter in my hands flashed a bit yellow, and disappeared.

"You'll find whatever you want to use under 'Items' in your Pip-Boy. Whenever you choose it, it'll re-materialize again."

"OK. Again, thank you." Before I headed out the door, I thought a moment. "Who found me in a ditch?"

"Ah, that... look for AJ..." he replied, a bit hesitantly.

"OK. See ya, Doc."

"Try not to get killed out there," he replied. He left back into his living room, and I faced the door. I turned the handle, and opened it.

A bright light immediately flooded my vision, and at first, I thought I was immediately going to die, and I shut my eyes. "Gah! It burns! It burns!" I shrieked. I collapsed on the floor kneeling, and I waited for my demise. However, after a moment, the brightness I saw in my eyelids dimmed, and I opened them. My vision cleared once again, and I looked around.

All I saw was dust. A dust-ridden expanse with a few houses here and there. And when I say a few, I really mean a few... I closed the door behind me, but not before seeing Doc cocking an eyebrow at me, a wide grin on his face. "So... where can I find this AJ?" I said to myself.

I looked around a bit, only a few ponies outside of their houses, raking their yards. I approached the nearest one, just across the street from a red building. I smiled as friendly as I could, and spoke to them. "Hey there!"

The pony turned, staring at me in a bit of confusion, before returning a smile. "Hello!"

"Um... hate to bother your... raking... but where can I find AJ?"

"AJ? You can find it down the street, where that shack is." The pony pointed to the direction, and I squinted. I saw a rather large rectangle silhouette just in front of the shack, which I assumed was a door. I thanked the pony, and trotted to the shack. In a moment, my vision recognized the rectangle not as a door... but as a mech.

I approached it, noticing its monitor was flickering the image of an earth pony mare with a wide-brimmed hat. I looked it up and down, not able to find words to describe what exactly I was looking at. It didn't take long for the mech to notice me. "Hey there, partner!" The machine seemed to whistle a bit... a wolf whistle. "Looking as healthy as a pig rollin' in mud." As it spoke, a few grilles under the monitor flickered blue.

I lowered my ears, mainly in confusion. "Uh... what?"

"Oh, I just meant you being fit after being buried for a good while."

"Oh... well... thanks for digging me out then, AJ."

"No worries. Always looking to help out a fella in need."

"So... how did you find me? I'm sure a buried pony isn't going to be easy to find."

"I was out ridin' the wheel that night. I heard a ruckus up near the old boneyard. I wandered and found three troublemakers... so I hunkered down. After they... wounded ya, buried ya, and left, I dug ya up. Turns out you were still breathin' so I hauled ya to Doc's."

"Wait, who were these ponies? I only remember how the three looked... two were decked in black... and one was wearing a blazer of blue and white."

"Can't help ya there, partner. Maybe some of the folks around here can."

I looked AJ up and down again. "So... how did you get here, AJ? You look like you could take on a gang of ponies... and this being some kind of ghost town, I doubt you really had to do much."

"I think I strolled in around... ten, maybe more years back. Don't recall much before that. But that don't mean I wanted to leave this here lovely town."

I really needed to get something off my chest at that moment. "Honestly, you look... way too cool! What are you?"

I heard it emit a sheepish giggle before responding. "I'm a SecuriDon. Bronco model. You ever see another of my kin, tell 'em howdy."

I really couldn't come up with anything else to ask AJ. "Well, thanks again, AJ. Bye!"

"Happy trails!" The robot continued to stand idle in front of the shack. I decided now was as good of a time as any to find these "folks" who might have had any clue about these assholes who robbed me.

I turned back to AJ. "Um... where can I find the good folks again?"

AJ pointed to a building with a neon sign in the distance. "Right there; Prospector Saloon." I nodded, and trotted to the building in the distance.

I walked up on the wooden porch of the saloon when somepony caught my eye. I turned to an eldery pony, bearded and all, sitting in a chair just near the entrance of the saloon, rocking back and forth on the chair. "Hey," I simply greeted.

"Howdy." He continued to rock, staring off at who knows what in the distance. "What can Whiskey Pete do for ya?"

I looked back at the bar, then back to Whiskey. It was pretty clear how he got that nickname. "Hey, you know anything about what happened a few nights back? At the boneyard?"

He nodded. "Three ponies. The one standing out most was in a suit. That's all I know. Maybe ask Speak Easy inside."

"Alright then. Later."

"Keep something on your side at all times." He continued rocking in his chair, and I was pretty sure this guy did nothing other than that all day. I entered the saloon, only to have a frightening bark ring in my ears. I immediately backed up to the wall, pressing against it as I saw a large... wolf... snarl at me.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" I yelled out in sheer terror.

"Whoa there!" a voice called. A mare reproached the dog. "Easy, stranger. Guns only make her angrier."

"Get that damned thing on a leash!" I blurted out, panicking still.

The mare chuckled, and patted the canine, soothing it. "There we go." She approached me now, and I pressed my head back to the wall now, glaring at her. "Last I checked, a hoof pound was the proper way to greet somepony." She extended her hoof.

I stared at it, dumbfounded almost. I then quivered a bit, raising my right hoof to her. Our hooves pounded together, creating a rather clear and loud clop sound. "Alright... alright... so... who are you?"

"Speak Easy. I run the joint here. Need a drink, some grub, or some help with critters and I'm your gal."

"Yeah, OK, I was gonna ask about whatever happened to me in the boneyard."

"The cemetery? Yeah, I do."

I waited a moment, thinking she was pulling my leg. I finally had enough. "OK, so what happened?"

"Come with me to the cemetery."

I really didn't expect her telling me to head there. But what choice did I have? Me losing my wing and my delivery order wasn't something I was gonna let slip by. I sighed. "Fine..."

"Alright. Oh, one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"You got a gun with you?"

"Yeah... why?" I asked, only feeling stupid a second later.

"For the critters."

"OK, what exactly do we need to watch out for?"

"If we don't go guns blazing on the mound, just a few bark scorpions." I thought about it, then nodded. "Right then. Stay here, girl. I'll be right back." She trotted to a back exit, waiting for me. I followed her outside, where I literally saw the largest piece of dirt ever.

"That's a cemetery?"

"Yep. Boot Hill. Don't let the sandy texture fool you... that mound ain't worthy to be a cemetery."

"Really? Why?" I later regretted asking that question by literally punching myself.

"That mound there? That was made from manure of the bighorners."

I gagged a bit, my heart sinking. I felt really queasy... yet I couldn't throw up. "I... I was buried... in bighorner shit?"

Speak Easy nodded. "Come on." She trotted up the hill, but with me simply disgusted by the fact of being used as fertilizer, I merely stood shocked. She shook her head, clenched my tail in her teeth, and dragged me up with her. We arrived at the top rather quickly, a small plateau adorned with crosses here and there.

A disturbing thought came to my mind. "So... all these ponies here... are buried... here?"

"The land around here ain't made for digging. So we had to make it."

I simply nodded. "So... which one's mine?" She brought me to a grave site in the middle of the hill. It looked like it was recently dug up.

"Right here. AJ helped you out and brought you to Doc."

I looked around the site, the cross made roughly with two sticks tied together with some yarn. Seems the budget for my funeral was astronomical. I looked around a bit more, noticing something just sticking out of the small mud pile near the hole. I bent over and reached for it with my right wing. I grasped it lightly, and pulled out a small sheet of paper. The paper was bent a bit, and at the fold was a cigarette butt.

I checked the paper...

San Palomino Pony Express
Courier: First Class
Package: Obsidian Horseshoe
If lost or damaged, return to sender immediately.
Caution: Fragile

Suddenly, something came back to me. I knew I had picked something up from a nearby town, I just didn't know what. But now I can't even find out where these punks went. Speak Easy probably detected my frustration, because she spoke up. "I know where they went."

I turned to her, almost grimly now. "I want them... I want them... and I want them now."

"I understand. They went towards-" A large crackling, followed by a louder boom roared nearby. Both of us dropped to the ground, but Speak Easy stood up immediately. "Celestia damned sons of bitches!" She galloped quickly down the hill and back to her saloon. I trailed after her, stumbling a bit as I galloped downhill. I saw the backdoor to the bar open, and I stormed inside.

I found myself, along with Speak Easy, facing five ponies. All of them wore blue coats, and the one closest to Speak Easy wore a black vest underneath. "Uh... Speak Easy..."

"Shut up!" the stallion with the black vest roared. He pulled a cleaver out afterwards, raising it to Speak Easy.

"Easy, Cob... he's new in town. Let him be..." She turned with a glare to a large hole in her wall. "And you better fix that hole or you ain't getting anything from me."

The pony in the black vest, Cob, laughed. "You know either way we're getting those caps. How easy you hand 'em over will sway me to either fix that hole or not."

Speak Easy didn't respond immediately. "I'll have it ready by tonight..." she muttered.

"Good." He clicked his tongue, and another stepped forward. "Sweet Corn, help our lady out."

The pony nodded, and headed outside. Cob turned back to Speak Easy, then to me. "Who's the flightless Pegasus?" Had he been the only pony there, I probably would have punched him... well... maybe a sucker punch before he eventually beat me to a pulp...

"He's a traveler. And if you even think about it, I will skin your hide."

Cob chuckled. "Long as he follows the same deal you do." Cob turned to the wall, now covered with a flat, wooden board. "There ya go. We'll be back later..." Cob played around with the cleaver, dragging the broad sides along Speak Easy's hide. "Don't disappoint." He then placed the cleaver away, and left the saloon, followed by the others.

I turned to Speak Easy. "What was that about?" I asked.

Speak Easy snorted, before looking around. "Hugo? Come here, Hugo!" The dog came through moments later, shaking without a pause. Speak Easy clutched the dog, and rubbed her muzzle against its fur. "It's OK, girl." She turned back to me. "Those were Poppers. Bunch of thugs using dynamite to harass the town. All of them in that gang changed their names to something related to corn after their leader, Pop Corn. The jerk that came here was Corn Cob..."

"Really? They named themselves Poppers?"

Speak Easy slugged my shoulder. "This is serious! If I can't pay them, they'll blow this town off the face of the San Palomino Desert!" She then leaned back against the wall, sliding down. "And I don't have the caps to save this town." I thought for a moment, but she spoke up again. "Shit, my bad... I forgot to tell you where you're troublemakers headed... go down the road south here until you reach the Long 15. They headed towards New Pegasus."

I simply nodded... I don't know why, but I really paid that no mind at that moment. "When is Cob's crew coming again?"

She stood up at that, and reproached me. "What are you suggesting?"

I tapped the Item button on my Pip-Boy, seeing what I had. As I did, both the note I found and the cigarette butt phased completely out of existance. I looked at my current inventory, and chose my pistol, along with what ammo I had for it; twenty-eight cartridges. Both of them reanimated themselves into my wing, and I took a while to get eight bullets into the clip.

Finally, I loaded it into the weapon, cocked the slide, and held it in my wing. I checked the sights. "All I can really use my wing for now, I guess."

Speak Easy snarled at me, gritting her teeth. "Are you mad!? No, we will not put this town at risk!"

"You got any better ideas? Without caps, they're gonna attack Goodsprings anyway. Maybe we should be ready for it..."

Speak Easy was about to speak up, raising a hoof as she did. But she thought twice, I assumed, and lowered it. "You got a good point... but what are we gonna do?"

I raised my right hoof, knocking my forehead with it to come up with something. "Um... what about the townsfolk? And AJ? Would they agree to helping us?"

Speak Easy nodded. "But it's not just Cob. When they notice they're gone, the Poppers in the Buffalo's Casino in Primm will notice. They'd surely come back here for payback."

"And how much are in the rat pack?"

"Nine. Cob and his crew, and Pop and his three guards."

"Hmm... for now, let's focus on the five here."

"OK. I'll try to round up everypony I can. You can... um... actually..." she said, giving a small smile. I didn't know whether to be reassured or terrified.

"What?"

"Get AJ to help out."

"What? Why me?" I figured with AJ being here for such a long time, why would she listen to me rather than Speak Easy.

"She... sorry, it gives me the creeps."

I cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah. Just talk to it, and meet with me back here."

"OK..." I stopped momentarily, before something came to mind. "Got any shades?"

"What?"

"Sunglasses. My eyes aren't very strong in sunlight." Speak Easy cocked an eyebrow, but trotted to a nearby storage closet. She came back to me moments later, holding a pair of dusty shades in her hoof.

She blew the dust off of them, revealing a pitch black pair of glasses. "Will these do it?"

"Oh yeah... those'll do nicely." I placed the glasses on, noticing how much better my vision was with them on, even inside the saloon. I turned back to her. "I'll go talk to AJ. See you in a bit." I trotted out of the saloon, a bit taken back by the encounter with Cob. I followed the path back to AJ's shack, but as I arrived, she wasn't where I had found her earlier. I wondered where she could've gone, considering she was standing here without moving earlier.

Then I realized... I'm standing in front of a shack. I knocked on the door, waiting for a response. After a few seconds, the door opened, and AJ's monitor faced me, the pony in the image still smiling as widely as ever. "Howdy! Good to see you again!"

"Hey, AJ. Listen... I don't know if you're... uh... programmed for this, but... care to help the townsfolk defend themselves against some thugs?"

The image on the screen flickered a bit. "That depends how exactly you want to deal with these hooligans, First Class."

"Well, I was hoping intimidation would scare 'em off, but if it comes to it... we'll have to fight 'em off."

AJ's grilles gave off some kind of whoosh. "Well, fightin' ain't in my nature, but I suppose for the people of Goodsprings, I can tip my hat the other direction."

I grinned widely. "Thanks, AJ..." I slowed down, pondering something. "AJ... is that short for something?"

The mech raised a mechanical hoof to its monitor as if it was thinking. "I'm not quite sure... it's been such a blur."

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's OK... thanks again for helping us out!"

"No worries! You can count on me!" The mech rolled back into its shack, shutting the door. And with that, I headed back to the saloon, waiting for Speak Easy.





1200 Hours

It took a while for her to return, and while I waited, I actually got along with Hugo. "Hehehe... you're a girl and your name is Hugo?"

The dog, completely unaware of what I said, licked my hoof. I heard the door open a few seconds later. "Ah, getting along with Hugo, I see!" She turned to Hugo, and lightheartedly and cheerfully scolded, "Hugo, you're supposed to bite off his hoof, not lick it like a horse!"

"If she really wanted to be a horse, I could've rode her..." I joked. "So... Hugo? What kind of name is that?"

She chuckled. "Have you noticed how large she is? Bigger than any Shepherd dog I've ever seen."

I nodded in agreement, amazed by the sheer mass of Hugo. "So what's the word? I do hope we're not alone as we take on these jerks."

She smiled. "This is why I love this town. We're always willing to help strangers and each other. I believe our little militia is more than enough to take on the Poppers."

I stood for a moment, kicking my hoof. "Well... we don't have to take them on... what about scaring them off?"

Speak Easy laughed. "Please, them? They're stupid enough to take on dragons if they were given a chance."

"Dragon? Really? Around here?" I've only heard of dragons living in caves dotted around the New Equestrian and the Everfree wastes. Never once did it cross my mind they could be located in the deserts around here.

She ignored my question. "Point is, we're not gonna be able to frighten them."

"Damn..."

She cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to fight them."

"No, not at all. I don't want to fight them, but I will if I have to."

"Ah... I was about to say that if you were a pacifist, you really must've been lucky to survive for this long."

"Oh, I've used the gun before. Didn't really feel bad, but didn't get a kick out of it either."

"That's hard to find in the wastes nowadays."

"I know, right?" Every time I said this... this time wasn't an exception... somepony would just move on to a different conversation. Always made me feel awkward afterwards.

"So have you ever been anywhere in the San Palomino area?"

"Nope. I've been to New Reno, though."

"Man, no wonder you've never heard of the demons around here."

"Is it really that bad? I thought only the ponies were dangerous."

"Oh yeah." She suddenly stood up. "Gosh, where are my manners? I never asked... care for a drink?"

I was never a heavy drinker, maybe the occasional pint here or there... mainly due to me being a lightweight. "Sure. Whatcha got?"

"Cider, bourbon, ale, draft, moonshine... I could go on."

"Eh, I'll stick with the cider."

"Oh, and uh... sorry to bother you, but... would you mind playing some tunes from your Pip-Boy? I had a jukebox, but it's shorted out."

I turned to her, baffled. "Tunes? From my watch?"

She chuckled. "Actually, it's a Pip-Boy. And yeah, you can listen to music. Don't you know how to do that?"

I shook my head. "Nope." She stepped closer to me, lifted my left foreleg, and tapped the Data button on my Pip-Boy. The screen flickered, revealing four selections: World Map, Local Map, Notes, and Radio. She tapped the Radio, and as the channels displayed on the screen, she chose one labeled "Palomino Music Radio." The machine sputtered to life, and string chords started playing. Speak Easy immediately lightened up at the music.

"Ah, I remember this tune... I listened to it as a filly. That's how I learned about the New Equestrian War..."



I flicked my ears a bit at the mention of the war. While I don't know anything about it... the only thing I did know was that the "Equestria" I'm living in was caused by it... somehow. "I never really understood much about the war... only that Equestria changed its name to New Equestria," I admitted.

Speak Easy seemed to understand, probably even relate, to my cluelessness. "Same here. Hardly anypony can." She brought me a mug with cider filled to the brim, and she set another mug beside her. We both lifted our mugs, clanked them together, and downed the contents as we waited for the imminent showdown.





1800 Hours

I cannot begin to explain how satisfying eating was... even if I did eat bits of squirrels in some broth. It took awhile to get used to the flavor, but it was filling. "I remember a time when ponies didn't resort to eating anything else that lived..." Speak Easy admitted, almost shamefully.

Still busy trying to slurp my stew, I turned to her. I set my bowl down, wiped my foreleg across my muzzle, and shrugged. "Well, grass isn't really so easy to find around here, it seems. I mean... unless the tumbleweeds are edible. Anyways, what's wrong with eating other things?"

Speak Easy sighed, something clearly bugging her then. "I don't know... it's just... I never imagined us... you know... ponies... eating anything else breathing. I don't know... is that weird?"

I pondered a bit, tapping my hoof on my chin. "Nope!" I bluntly stated. She nickered a bit, obviously put off a bit my my answer.

"You're not that bright, are ya?"

"Depends what you mean by that. I mean, I don't know shit about how my gun works... how robots like AJ run... how this wound inside my gut was removed... hell, I don't even know how I'm alive still. But you know what? I could open nearly any door that's locked, I could probably enter New Reno and get out after having seen all the damn signs without getting noticed, and even though I have no clue how it works, I can use guns and lasers pretty damn well. So in a way... no. I'm not that bright."

She didn't respond immediately... she looked shocked at how lengthy my answer was. She then shook her head. "I'm sorry for insulting you."

"You didn't insult me." She simply sat still, gazing into an empty mug. Every once in awhile she'd fiddle with it, almost emptily. "Small talk for the sake of small talk?"

She shook her head quietly. "Small talk for the sake of not talking about what we're getting ourselves into right now..."

I placed a hoof on her shoulder, and she gazed back absently. "Listen... Goodsprings'll get though this." I checked the small belt on my jumpsuit, still seeing my pistol holstered onto it. She took a glance as well, and cocked an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

She nodded. "Your gun... it's... a bit rusty. Are you sure you'll be able to use it?"

I took another glance at it. It did look a little... brownish. But I shrugged it off. "I think it'll shoot." I was curious at the moment... "So... what'll you... uh... what'll you be using?"

Speak Easy whistled shrilly, and a few seconds later, Hugo came bounding in with some kind of piece of metal in his maw. He dropped it into Speak Easy's grasp, and she loaded two shells into it. "Ol' Reliable here."

"Ah, a caravan shotgun. I haven't seen those in awhile. So what's the plan then?"

"The plan is to stage an ambush. You and I will head to one of the homes on the way to the saloon, hitch there, and wait for the Poppers to arrive. Soon as they do, we take 'em down."

I nodded. "So what about the other townsfolk?"

"I already told them as soon as they heard gunshots to take cover and get ready. If we fail, they still have the element of surprise. And AJ's hard shell won't crack easily, so it can take quite a beating... long before they'll be able to break her, she'll break them."

"So we're the first assault? Oh joy..." I remember commenting satirically.

"Just follow me, and we'll get this done with as fast as possible." She led me out of the saloon, and swiftly across the dirt road to the closest house. I noticed the sun had already set, and the moon was just peeking over a mountain range in the distance. She knocked, and a few seconds later, Whiskey Pete answered the door, a bandolier wrapped around his midsection.

"Dear Luna, that is pretty awesome," I said in amazement.

"Pete, we're here for our little discussion earlier."

"Please come on in," he said, stepping out of the doorway. We both entered, noticing how dark it was inside to the point we could only see shadows of whatever furniture he had inside.

"Got the Cat Eye, Pete?"

"Right here," he wheezed out, handing Speak Easy a small vial. She popped the cap off, and took a sip. She then handed it to me. "Bottoms up."

"What is it?"

"Cat Eye. It lets you see in the dark."

I hesitated a bit, before I took the vial and downed the remaining contents. I blinked once... twice... thrice... until I noticed everything around me was easily visible... albeit with a bluish hue. Speak Easy nudged her head to a nearby window with two seats perched beside it, and I followed until we reached it. She sat down first, then I did soon after. We both drew our guns, but didn't raise them.

"So... do we take out Corn Cob first, or...?"

"Actually, even though he seems to be in charge of the gang when they come out here, he ain't much of a fighter. That cleaver he had is the only steel he has. It'd be smart to take out the others first."

"Alright." I don't really remember how long I looked down the road before I felt myself closing my eyes...





1900 Hours

Somepony shook my shoulder, and as I blinked a bit, I turned to see Speak Easy continuously disturbing my nap. I groaned, until I heard growling. I stopped, but the growling continued. "Get ready... Hugo smells 'em coming..."

I sat up, and readied my wing, grasping my pistol tightly. I squinted, and I identified five silhouettes in the moonlight, all of them blue. I crouched a bit low, so as to peek over the windowsill. As the figures drew closer, I slowly raised my weapon, the barrel following the trotting figures. I turned to Speak Easy, waiting. She raised her coach gun as well, but held her hoof up. "Not yet..." she whispered.

I nodded, and held my breath. As the figures got closer, I recognized Cob leading them, still wearing his body armor. As they walked completely adjacent to the window along the road, Speak Easy lowered her hoof, and nodded. I aimed my pistol at the last pony's neck, and pulled the trigger...

Click! I wondered what the hell happened, and I pulled again, causing another click to wheeze out. I was pretty sure they hadn't noticed, but Speak Easy and I surely did. "What... what the fuck?"

Speak Easy glared at me. "I told you! I fucking told you! 'Is your gun gonna work?' And what did you say? 'Oh, I think it will...' You're an idiot!" she whispered harshly.

"I told you I don't know how guns work! How was I supposed to know it would jam?"

"Because it was rusty and dirty! That's how you tell you're supposed to clean your gun!"

"Just use your gun to blast them! I don't see any problems other than you holding it!"

...I still don't know what gave us away... but we were cut off by a gunshot hitting the wall next to us, and we both ducked out of sight. "Nice job, loudmouth!" she scolded.

"I'm the loudmouth!? You and your nagging gave us away!"

Whiskey Pete chuckled a bit nervously. "Uh... hate to break a quarrel... but we have bigger things to worry about, like the thugs outside my house..."

We both nodded, and I tapped the Items button on my Pip-Boy. The pistol and ammo phased into it, and I tapped my straight razor. It reappeared into my wing a second later, and I flicked the blade out. "Stay here and shoot at them."

"And what are you gonna do?"

I turned to Pete. "Is there another way out of the house?"

He pointed to a back door in his kitchen, drawing a revolver as he did. I crept low as I approached it, and slowly turned the knob. I slipped through the narrowest crack I could through the door, and closed it behind me. I held the razor in my wing, and placed my back against the walls of the house as I followed the sounds of the gunshots. I turned the corner... very slowly... and I saw two of the five ponies from the gang on the ground, blood slowly pooling around them. I peeked around for signs of the others, and noticed one of them popping their heads out from a rock across the street in the desert.

Still crouching low, I quickly darted along the road away from them slightly, but towards the desert. I dove into some nearby foliage, the pony not noticing me. I looked through the brambles, and spotted the other two. Cob was firing from an abandoned trailer, while another of his cronies was with the first, beginning to light a stick of dynamite. I winced, and hurried out of the dry bush as I silently trotted to them. Without thinking, I tossed the straight razor forward quickly. Then it dawned on me that my stupid decision left me without any weapon.

The razor did, however, pierce the pony in the foreleg, and he dropped the lit stick. Frantically, he pulled the razor out, tossing it to the side and completely ignoring where it came from to pick up the fuse. The other pony found it, and positioned himself to toss it...

BLAOW! A quick burst of light, followed by a red mist, filled the area near the rock. Soon afterwards, I felt tiny droplets splatter onto my mane, followed by a foreleg hitting my side. "Ouch..." I said, more in disgust than pain. I peered to where my razor was thrown; onto the dirt street. I looked around a bit, noticing how still the night was. I stood up, and galloped to it, picking it up. As I did, Speak Easy peered over the windowsill, and saw me standing in the middle of the streets. I waved at her, and she stood up, waving back.

I then felt something cold press to the side of my head. Without turning or even glancing, I gulped, knowing what it was. "N-nice blade you got there..." I stammered out.

"Shut up..." he whispered out coldly. "You thought you could get away with this, didn't you? But see, we're Poppers. We don't take kindly to-" I really didn't want to hear it, and as he spoke, I immediately stabbed my straight razor into Cob's foreleg, causing him to shout and drop his cleaver. I neared him, pulled the razor out, and trapped him underneath my hoof.

"You're not gonna do anything to this town anymore." I turned to the windowsill again, seeing some movement. Speak Easy and Whiskey Pete emerged moments later from the house, surrounding Cob. "Wait wait wait! Don't kill him!"

"Kill him? What do you think we are, raiders? We're gonna make him properly repair the Prospector Saloon, otherwise he'll get flogged. Now then Cob... don't disappoint me..." Speak Easy commented. She lifted him up, wrapped a lasso around his waist, and tightened it.

I couldn't help but to laugh at that display. I shook it off, and then asked, "Hey... I know you told me earlier... but where did those guys who shot me head out to again?"

"They went out to New Pegasus by way of Primm."

"OK. New Pegasus... got it! Any directions you could give me?"

"Head down the road until you reach the Long 15. Primm will be further south of there, and you'll loop until you reach the 95. Follow that road until you reach Freeside. New Pegasus's entrance is inside."

"Alright... that sounds far... but OK."

Speak Easy interrupted me. "Before ya head out, at least let me repair your gun. It's the least I can do for ya." I nodded, and tapped my Pip-Boy again, bringing out the gun. I handed it to Speak Easy, and she left towards her saloon with Hugo. Soon, she emerged, and handed me two things; my pistol, and a small pipe of some sort. The weapon looked greased and much more healthy than before, but the pipe... Luna, I didn't know what the hell it was for.

"Uh... thanks?"

She shook her head, smiling. "That's a suppressor. It'll fit onto your pistol's muzzle nicely."

My ears twitched at that, and I grinned widely. I eagerly twisted the mod into place, and upon finishing, I aimed at the nearby rock. Tut-tut. Barely a sound. I placed my two weapons away by tapping the Item key on my Pip-Boy, and stood waiting, staring off towards the horizon. Before I could do anything else, I heard the sound of a crashing... kinda like drums. I ducked immediately afterwards, not knowing what it was. After a few seconds of lying on the ground, I peeked up to see Speak Easy laughing.

"Maybe you should take a look at your Pip-Boy."

I did so, and saw a large message on the screen... Level Up! it seemed to announce, quite triumphantly at that. I really didn't know what was up, until the Stats button shimmered brightly. I tapped it, and immediately the screen displayed a list of thirteen words and numbers; Guns 42%, Energy Weapons 24%, Unarmed 18%, Melee 42%, Explosives 24%, Medicine 24%, Sneak 44%, Lockpick 24%, Science 24%, Repair 25%, Speech 22%, Barter 22%, and Survival 18%. In addition, I noticed other changes on the screen... the LVL had now changed to 2, the HP had increased to 185, the AP increased to 95, and the XP now showed 298/550.

I still had no idea what had happened, and I don't think Speak Easy did either. "It's happened on occasion with other Pip-Boys, but we have no idea what it is," she replied.

I merely shook my head in confusion... what is this? I decided now wouldn't be the best time to investigate that, and merely lowered my left foreleg. I turned back to Speak Easy. "...th-thank you... for everything. I wish I could do more..."

She smiled warmly. "You've done more than enough." She then pointed to the horizon. "While you are venturing to New Pegasus... remember what I said... best to take the 95 instead of following the 15."

I nodded. I turned back to the road, and waving goodbye with my wing once more, I trotted down it, following the dirt until it became cracked asphalt, venturing out of the town's perimeter and strolling into the San Palomino wastes.





2200 Hours

After some time of traveling, everything started to ache. My legs... my sides... walking was never much of my thing. I looked around me... nothing but the road leading to and from my position, as well as the desert surrounding it. I wasn't sure where I was. Yet I still continued to trot... hoping there would at least be some sign of civilization somewhere.

The desert was eerily quiet. Everything Speak Easy told me about "critters" made me jump at the slightest sounds. During one moment, I even remember a tumbleweed rolling behind me, and I couldn't help but to gallop immediately further down the road frantically, not turning back. After a few minutes of my gallop, I suddenly stopped as I tried to identify something in the night. I turned to my left... then to my right. There were roads leading to both directions. But then I looked forward... where the road behind me was cut off.

I stepped a bit forward, squinting now, for the Cat Eye was long gone by now. I could only make out a black wall of some sort in the moonlight. I took a few more careful steps towards it... and extended a hoof to inspect. I felt a hard surface... wood, no doubt. Nothing around here would be growing like trees, and considering the wall-like structure, I guessed it was some building. I looked around a bit, trying to find a door of some kind.

I felt around with my wing, until I felt something extremely cold and solid. Doorknob. I twisted it, and pulled. The door budged only by a fraction. I twisted again, and pulled harder, the door slightly moving a bit more out of its frame. "Luna dammit, open already..." I said, exhausted. I strained one last time, using my hooves now to release the door from its position. The door opened slightly enough for me to slip in, and I did.

I closed it enough to prevent anything from entering but not fully enough to make it stuck again. I turned back... yet again viewing at utter darkness. I groaned in annoyance. Usually, I loved staying in the dark... some might even say I lived in darkness most of my life. But when I couldn't recognize where I was within it, it just made me feel completely blind... and adding to the fact that I partially was, it just made it worse.

I had long removed my sunglasses, but I was hoping on the off chance that maybe... just maybe... I could see a bit more clearly. I saw the dim glow of my Pip-Boy, and I peered at the screen, almost glued to it like a moth. The screen remained on my Stats... and I wondered... so I tapped the selections. I first went with my overall status... and I couldn't be any happier. Other than my completely severed wing, everything else about me seemed to be doing just fine, just a bit exhausted. It recommended a bit of rest, which I couldn't agree with more than I already did.

I tapped the next selection... something called S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Well, if I could name it something else, I would, because I didn't feel very special at the moment... or at all today. It showed what I had seen in Doc's house... my strength determined me to be a lightweight, which was true... I even had the small frame to prove it. My perception described me as a big-eyed tiger. Well, in most cases, if I had a fair amount of light, I could see pretty well, which was one of the reasons I was more of a night pony. I was deemed to be handled with care by my endurance, which, without wings, I couldn't argue about. Charisma placed me as a cheery salespony. My intelligence labeled me as a smartypants... my Pip-Boy was too kind. My agility placed me as that of a knife catcher, and my luck placed me as that of a coin flip. All in all, the machine read me pretty damn well.

I skipped the skills section... I had already checked it just before leaving Goodsprings, and I doubt it would have changed so soon... unless the thunderous drums played again. I tapped the next one instead; Perks. So far, I had three: Small Frame, Skilled, and Confirmed Bachelor. I chuckled a bit... whoever made this spared no expense in making it as accurate as possible. Apparently, my small frame made it so I was more agile... yet less durable than most ponies. Pegasi in general naturally are... but even then, I was smaller than the average pegasus. The Skilled described me as being naturally skilled... just not experienced. My bachelor status apparently made me much more talkative with stallions than mares, but I didn't really notice it so far. I noticed something underneath Confirmed Bachelor... an empty line. I tapped it, and I felt the Pip-Boy tighten around my left foreleg. "Gah! L-let go!" It did no such thing, and I thought I felt something embed itself into my hide just under it. Afterwards, the stinging feeling stopped all of a sudden, and I checked my Pip-Boy again. Under Confirmed Bachelor was a new phrase; Rapid Reload. I tapped it, and it sounded exactly like what it was... I could reload a weapon much faster.

The last selection under the Stats tab was Reputation. I tapped that, and the only selections that appeared were Goodsprings and Stable 19. Goodsprings set me as Idolized, while Stable 19 set me as Shunned. While I understood the praise for Goodsprings, I didn't know how I was connected to Stable 19 in any way. The only Stable I was familiar with was 21, and that's solely because I was wearing one of their suits. I shook it off... I'd check the rest of the Pip-Boy tomorrow. For now... I was extremely tired.

I still couldn't see much in the darkness, but my Pip-Boy's faint glow allowed me to see a bit. After a bit of exploring, I realized I was in an office of some sort... it had no windows, only one door, only one desk with a monitor atop of it, and a few lockers in the back. This was the most I was going to get for tonight, so I settled with it. I checked within the lockers, finding a few bobby pins, caps, and a small sheet. I tapped the Items tab to phase the pins and caps, and I cleared enough space on the desk to lie on, draping the sheet over me afterwards. I slowly closed my eyes, and before I knew it... fell into a slumber.

{END DAY 1 LOG TRANSMISSION}